Mythstories
This series explores the relationship between the wondrous world of mythology and history in tapestries. Myths complement our understanding of history, which has its own truths and biases. Appropriating the style and iconography of medieval tapestries, Castro interlaces contemporary myths to create cross-temporal and cross-cultural connections with a rare blend of irreverence. He turns to medieval tapestries as the foundation for this series given that the turn from worship to inquiry, from unexamined mythology to history, had not yet occurred. The hybrid of old world medium and new world content infuses the contemporary subjects with a historical mystique that is heightened by period red walls.
As humans we are meaning-seeking creatures. Myths allow us to transcend our own existence, lifting us emotionally and imaginatively beyond our own limited circumstances. These works depict present-day beliefs that have permeated the fabric of our culture. They function like a compass that accelerates back and forth through history. By locating these myths in a temporal continuum, Castro reveals that our appetite for mythmaking has not subsided. Instead, what emerges from the seams where matter and myth connect, is a reminder that in the arc of humanity myths will continue to spring to life because they are central to our understanding of ourselves, our world, and our place in it.
Monica Espinel